In Sickness And In Health
by Zanessalover576
Summary: Sequel to Its Not As Easy As It Seems. Gabriella and Troy have been raising their two children, Josh and Sophia, and are experiencing what every parent goes through, with some surprises along the way. Follow the Bolton family through laughs, tears, anger, and passionate love.
1. Miscarriage

Three years passed since Sophia was born and life had felt complete ever since. Josh was four and a half and was a mere image of Troy. Sophia, on the other hand looked exactly like Gabriella, only she had Troy's cobalt blue eyes. Troy and Gabriella were stronger than ever. The couple had just found out that they were pregnant with their third child and were ecstatic. Their families were so supportive of all of their life plans.

"Josh, put the remote down now" Gabriella said.

Josh put the television remote down.

"It's nap time buddy, let's go" Gabriella said.

"But I don't want to take a nap mommy" Josh said.

"You have to baby or you will be grumpy the rest of the day and we don't want that do we?" Gabriella asked.

"No" Josh said.

"Alright then, let's go" Gabriella said.

Gabriella made sure Josh got into his bed and fell asleep. She then peeked into Sophia's room to make sure that she was still asleep. Gabriella heard the door open and she walked into the living room and saw Troy putting down his bag.

"Hey" Gabriella said.

"Hey, how did it go today?" Troy asked kissing his wife's lips.

"Okay. They are both taking their naps" Gabriella said.

"Good. How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Fine" Gabriella said.

"Did you throw up this morning?" Troy asked.

"A little bit. Not too much, which is weird because with both Josh and Soph, I threw up a lot" Gabriella said.

"Maybe this one decided to give you a break because they didn't" Troy said.

"Maybe" Gabriella said.

"Have you heard from any of your job applications?" Troy asked.

Gabriella quit her job at the law firm because her hours were getting out of control and the employees and boss couldn't work together.

"Not yet" Gabriella said.

"When is your next ultrasound?" Troy asked.

"Next week. Hopefully, the baby will be bigger than before" Gabriella said.

"I'm sure it will be sweetheart" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned and kissed Troy's lips.

"I love you. I haven't said it all day" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said kissing her nose softly.

A week later, Troy was at his office when the phone rang.

"Dr. Bolton" Troy said.

"Troy! You need to come to labor and delivery immediately" Taylor said.

"Gabs" Troy breathed.

"Hurry" Taylor said.

Troy walked out of the office as fast as he could. He walked across the street to the hospital and went up to the labor and delivery floor. Troy saw Taylor and held his arms out, questioning what was happening.

"What happened?" Troy asked.

"You need to let Gabi tell you. She just told me to go get you" Taylor said.

Troy nodded.

"Thanks for calling me Tay" Troy said.

"Don't thank me. I'm your best friend Troy. It's my job" Taylor said.

Troy smiled. He walked to the reception desk.

"I'm looking for my wife-" Troy started.

"Room 3 Dr. Bolton" a nurse said before the receptionist could say anything.

"Thanks" Troy said.

Troy walked to the room 3 and took a deep breath. He walked into the room and saw Gabriella, with tears running down her face. Troy walked slowly over to the hospital bed and sat on the edge. Gabriella looked at Troy and collapsed in his arms.

"It's okay. I'm here" Troy said wrapping his arms around her.

Gabriella just cried into her husband's chest. She took fistfuls of his shirt in her hands. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly. Forty five minutes later, Gabriella's cries turned into whimpers and she still hadn't told Troy what was going on.

"Sweetheart, what's going on?" Troy asked carefully.

Troy pulled back so he was looking at Gabriella. He wiped her tears that were falling.

"I lost the baby, Troy" Gabriella cried.

Troy took a deep shaky breath. He brought Gabriella to his chest and heard her start crying again. Troy had tears in his eyes.

"Brie, it's not your fault" Troy started.

Gabriella shook her head in his arms.

"It is my fault. I was it's mother and I was supposed to be taking care of it" Gabriella cried.

Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"Did Tay know?" Troy asked.

"She's the one that saw me come into the ER and I told her to get you" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I'm going to call my office really quick and tell Pat that I need some time off. I'll be right back okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly. He then walked out of the hospital room. Ten minutes later, Troy walked back into the room and sat down in the chair that was next to the hospital bed.

"What's the next step?" Gabriella asked.

"They are going to do surgery and remove...remove the...remove" Troy started.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears. She put her hand on Troy's cheek.

"Troy, it's okay to cry" Gabriella said as her voice cracked.

Troy sniffled. Gabriella wrapped her arms around her husband and cried herself. Twenty minutes later, the couple calmed down and looked at each other. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek and then forehead.

"Should we tell anyone right now?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"I don't think I can handle that right now. I just want you here and that's all. Everyone else can wait" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"When will they do it?" Gabriella asked.

"I don't know baby girl. Dr. Hart will come in and talk to us and tell us the plan" Troy said.

"Will it hurt?" Gabriella asked.

"You will be sedated. You won't feel any pain. I'm going to be with you too" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I can't push it out?" Gabriella asked.

Troy shook his head.

"He or she is too small. The best and safest option for you is to remove it quickly" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. That night, Gabriella and Troy were in the pre-operation wing of the hospital. Gabriella was being prepped for surgery and Troy sat next to her. Dr. Hart came through the curtain and smiled sympathetically.

"Gabi, do you have any questions before we sedate you?" Dr. Hart asked.

Gabriella shook her head and looked at Troy, who shook his head.

"Alright, I am just going to insert a sedative into the IV and that will help you feel relaxed" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella took Troy's free hand. Troy kissed her hand softly. Dr. Hart inserted the sedative into Gabriella's IV. Ten minutes later, Troy looked at his wife and smoothed her hair back.

"How are you feeling honey?" Troy asked.

"Sleepy" Gabriella said softly.

Troy smiled slightly. He kissed her head softly.

"You are so brave" Troy said.

"Don't leave me" Gabriella said.

"I won't. Not now. Not ever" Troy said.

Dr. Hart came back through the curtain.

"Okay, we are going to take her into the OR. Troy, you need to put some scrubs on if you want to come in with her" Dr. Hart said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella had a firm grip on Troy's hand.

"Sweetheart, I just need to change and I will be right back" Troy said.

Gabriella released Troy's hand. Troy went to go change into his scrubs. While Troy was changing, Gabriella was wheeled into the operating room. Her breathing sped up and she looked around the room. The door opened and her breathing regulated again once she saw Troy. Troy sat at Gabriella's head. He smoothed Gabriella's hair back and kissed her head softly.

"Feeling okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded as tears ran down her face, which didn't go unnoticed by Troy, who wiped them away.

"It's alright baby. Everything's going to be fine. Don't worry" Troy said.

Dr. Hart came into the OR and the surgery began. An hour later, Gabriella was in the recovery room. Troy sat in the chair that he had previously and held Gabriella's hand. Gabriella's eyes were closed. Dr. Hart had given her pain medication as the sedative wore off. Gabriella's eyes slowly opened. Troy smiled slightly. Gabriella looked around the room and her eyes met Troy's. All she could do was cry.

"Brie, how are you feeling sweetie?" Troy asked as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Gabriella couldn't find the words to explain what she felt. She just ended up sounding like she was hyperventilating. Troy took the oxygen mask that was hanging on the back of the bed and placed it on his wife's mouth.

"Take slow, deep breaths baby" Troy said.

Once Gabriella's breathing regulated again, Troy carefully took the oxygen mask off.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

"Our baby-" Gabriella started.

"I know. Are you in any pain?" Troy asked looking at Gabriella's chart.

"I feel numb and empty" Gabriella said.

"Gabriella, listen to me honey. There was nothing you or I could have done to save him. Things like this, unfortunately, just happen" Troy said.

Gabriella swallowed hard.

"I know you are hurting sweetie. Trust me, I feel it too" Troy said aware that Gabriella avoided his pain scale question.

"You trusted me with carrying our baby and I couldn't do it" Gabriella said.

"It was out of your control. Do not blame yourself" Troy said.

Gabriella sniffled and looked down at her stomach that had dressing and bandages all over it.

"I'm going to go home and bring the kids to see you" Troy said.

"How are we going to tell them?" Gabriella asked.

"We will figure it out. I'm going to bring them. I'll be back in a little while" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Troy?" Gabriella called as he walked out the door.

Troy came back into the room and looked at his wife.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly. He walked over to the hospital bed and leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you too honey. Get some rest" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. An hour later, there was a knock on the door and Troy poked his head.

"Are you covered up?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, bring them in" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into the room, holding both Josh and Sophia's hands. He lifted Josh up and placed him on the foot of the bed. Troy then lifted Sophia up and placed her on his hip.

"Mommy" Sophia said.

Gabriella looked at her daughter's face.

"Hi sweetheart" Gabriella said.

"Josh, be careful with mommy. She has an owie" Troy said.

"Mommy has an owie?" Josh asked innocently.

"Yeah buddy" Troy said.

"Kiss it and make it better" Sophia chimed in.

Troy smiled and kissed his daughter's cheek.

"I wish we could Soph. But I want a kiss" Gabriella said.

Sophia giggled. Troy carried Sophia over to Gabriella and kneeled down. Gabriella leaned over carefully and kissed her daughter.

"That made me feel much better actually" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"When are you coming home?" Josh asked.

"In a couple days. The doctor has to look at my owies and make sure that they are healing" Gabriella said.

"Okay guys, mommy needs to take a nap and so do you. Say goodbye to mommy" Troy said.

"Bye mommy" Josh and Sophia said in unison.

"I'll be back in a little bit" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

An hour later, Troy returned, as promised.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Hold me please" Gabriella said looking at her husband with tears in her eyes.

Troy walked over to the hospital bed and lied down next to Gabriella and took her into his arms. He rubbed her back as she sobbed into his chest.

"It's not fair" Gabriella said.

"I know it's not baby. I know it's not. But, maybe we can try again" Troy said.

"That doesn't take the pain away" Gabriella said.

"I know it's not going to. Gabs, look at me" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy, her eyes bloodshot from crying and lack of sleep. Troy put his hand on his wife's cheek.

"This isn't your fault" Troy said.

"Why does it feel like it is?" Gabriella asked.

"Because you are an overachiever at everything and if it's less than perfect, you think it's your fault" Troy joked.

Gabriella giggled.

"We aren't supposed to be laughing. It's not a time to laugh" Gabriella said.

"But, it got you to feel a little better right?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"It's going to hurt for a while. You probably aren't going to feel like it's real for a long time. But, I'll be here every step of the way" Troy said.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy carefully. She inhaled his cologne and relaxed.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too Brie. So much. Never forget that" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded against Troy's chest.

"I want to go home and be in our own bed" Gabriella said.

"I know you do sweetheart. Dr. Hart just needs to make sure everything is healing and if you are okay enough, emotionally, to go home to the kids" Troy said.

"How are we going to tell our families?" Gabriella asked.

"We could tell them today. If you are ready to tell them. It's your call" Troy said.

"I want to get it over with" Gabriella said.

"I want you to be ready to tell them. Not because you have to. There is no rush" Troy said.

"I want to do it today" Gabriella said.

"Are you sure?" Troy asked.

"Yes" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I'll call my parents and your mom and tell them to come to the hospital so we can tell them together" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Let me call everyone and I'll be back" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned over and kissed Troy's lips softly. Troy left the room and came back twenty minutes later.

"They are on their way" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Twenty minutes later, the Bolton's and Maria arrived at the hospital.

"What happened Gabi?" Lucille and Maria both asked.

"Um..we both need to tell you something. I think that you should all take a seat" Troy said.

Everyone sat down. Troy sat on the edge of Gabriella's hospital bed and entwined his fingers with hers. He looked at Gabriella for permission to tell the story and she nodded in confirmation.

"Yesterday, Brie was at home working on her job applications and she looked down and saw blood. She drove to the hospital and was immediately admitted. When I got over here, she had some bad news that could potentially change our life" Troy started.

Gabriella looked at Troy and squeezed his hand for support. Troy cleared his throat.

"Troy, what's going on?" Lucille asked.

"Troy" Gabriella said softly.

Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled slightly. He then looked back at their parents.

"Gabriella had a miscarriage" Troy said solemnly.

Lucille and Maria's face dropped.

"Gabi" Maria breathed.

"Okay, we told you guys. I don't want to talk about it anymore" Gabriella said.

"Gabi, I know you are hurting. We want to help you through this" Lucille said.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears.

"Our life is never going to be the same. Don't you all understand that?" Gabriella cried.

"Baby" Troy said.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around her husband and cried into his chest. The Bolton's, Maria, and Mark both walked out of the room and into the hallway. Troy followed them.

"Troy" Maria cried.

"Brie needs time. I took some time off and am going to be home with her when she gets discharged. The kids want to be with her too. She needs to grieve" Troy said.

"If you need us to take the kids, we can if you want" Lucille said.

"Thank you. I don't know how we are going to recover from this" Troy said.

"You both need to grieve. Let us take the kids and the two of you, do what you need to do" Lucille said.

"I'll come by the house later to see them" Troy said.

Lucille nodded. The two mothers left the hospital. Troy walked back into the hospital room.

"Troy" Gabriella called.

"I'm here sweetheart" Troy said walking over to the bed.

The couple didn't know how they were going to be able to grieve the loss of their baby, but what they did know is that they were going to get through it together.


	2. Is That A Yes?

That night, Troy arrived at his parents house to see his kids. He rang the doorbell and smiled when he saw his mother open the door.

"Hey, how is she doing?" Lucille asked.

"She's going to be discharged tomorrow" Troy said.

"That's great!" Lucille said.

"Yeah, how are my kids?" Troy asked.

Lucille smiled.

"They miss their mommy and daddy" Lucille said.

Troy smiled.

"I feel awful having to leave them constantly because Brie was-" Troy started but was then interrupted.

"You did what you had to do. Don't blame yourself" Lucille said.

"I'm going to go see what they are up to" Troy said.

Troy walked into the living room and saw his children both watching a movie. Sophia was the first one to see Troy and jumped off the couch and ran into his arms. Troy picked up his daughter and kissed her head softly.

"Hey baby girl" Troy said.

"Daddy, where is mommy?" Sophia asked.

"Mommy is at the doctor Soph" Troy said.

"Is she sick?" Sophia asked.

Troy smiled. Sophia was truly Gabriella's child. She always wanted to know what was happening.

"A little bit. But the doctor is making her feel better. Do you want to go see her?" Troy asked.

Sophia nodded. Her eyes filled with tears.

"I miss my mommy" Sophia cried.

"I know baby. I know. I'm going to take you to go see her okay?" Troy said.

Sophia nodded as she stopped crying. Troy rubbed his daughter's back. He then kissed Josh's head and said goodbye to his mother and left the house. Troy drove to the hospital and carried Sophia up to Gabriella's floor. He knocked on the door.

"Knock knock" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Come in" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into the hospital room with Sophia on his hip.

"Hi baby" Gabriella said opening her arms.

Troy carefully placed Sophia into Gabriella's arms and sat in the chair that he had been since they came to the hospital.

"Mommy" Sophia said leaning against her mother's arm.

"Hi Soph, have you been having fun at grandma's?" Gabriella asked.

"I missed you" Sophia said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I missed you too baby" Gabriella said kissing her daughter's cheek.

Troy smiled as he watched his daughter and wife interact.

"When are you coming home?" Sophia asked innocently.

"Tomorrow sweetheart" Gabriella said.

A smile grew on Sophia's face.

"Hey Soph, mommy needs to take a nap okay? We need to go back to grandma's" Troy said.

"Noo! I want to stay!" Sophia cried.

"Sophia, look at me sweetheart" Gabriella said.

Sophia looked at her mother with tears in her eyes.

"Tomorrow I am coming home and we can spend the whole day together okay? I promise. But, you need to go home with daddy" Gabriella said.

"I want to stay" Sophia whined.

"I know you do honey. I want you to. But, a hospital isn't a fun place for little girls. Go with daddy sweetheart" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Sophia said defeated.

"Can I have a kiss?" Gabriella asked.

Sophia kissed her mother. Troy opened his arms and took Sophia out of Gabriella's. He placed his daughter on his hip.

"I love you Soph" Gabriella said.

"I love you too mommy" Sophia said.

"I'll be back in a little bit" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

An hour later, Troy came back into the hospital room.

"You have a daughter that is very concerned about your well being" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"What did she say?" Gabriella asked.

"She asked a lot of questions and I tried to answer them in the best and most suitable way possible" Troy said.

"What did she ask?" Gabriella asked.

"She was very worried that you were going to die" Troy said.

Gabriella's face softened. She sighed.

"Did you tell her no?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"I told her that the doctor just needed to keep you here to make sure your owie was better" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Tomorrow I will do everything. I will spend time with the kids and you go and hang out with Chad" Gabriella said.

"Babe, you still have to take it easy. Just because you are getting discharged doesn't mean everything is over. You are still grieving" Troy said.

"I want to do it. It will keep me-" Gabriella started.

"Honey, I love that you want me to go out and forget this happened. But, I want to be home with you and the kids. You need me to be here. More than ever" Troy said putting his hand on Gabriella's cheek.

"Troy" Gabriella started.

"Gabriella, don't push me away. Please" Troy said softly.

Gabriella looked down and nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you and I want to be here" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

The next day, Gabriella was discharged. The couple walked into their house and Sophia jumped into her mother's arms.

"Hi baby, I missed you" Gabriella said kissing her daughter's head softly.

"Is your owie better?" Sophia asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"Much better" Gabriella said kissing Sophia's nose.

Gabriella hugged and kissed Josh.

"Mommy" Josh said.

"Yes sweetheart?" Gabriella asked.

"Look" Josh said.

Josh sprinted across the room and back.

"Wow! You are so fast bud. Just be careful" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled as he watched Gabriella interact with their children. Gabriella sat down on the couch with Sophia in her arms still.

"Where was your owie?" Sophia inquired.

"On my tummy" Gabriella said.

"Did daddy kiss it and make it better?" Sophia asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"Of course he did" Gabriella said looking at Troy from the corner of her eye.

Sophia nodded. That night, after the couple had put the kids to bed, a thought came to Gabriella's head.

"Do you think that we can try again?" Gabriella asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Dr. Hart told us to wait until we get you to a therapist" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her husband confused.

"Therapist?" Gabriella asked.

"Brie, we just lost a child. You don't think we should go and talk to someone?" Troy asked.

"I think we are handling it fine" Gabriella said.

"Babe" Troy said softly.

"Troy, please. I don't want to talk about it" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I didn't mean to-" Gabriella started.

"I know. I shouldn't have mentioned it" Troy said.

That night, the couple fell asleep and hoping to wake up from this nightmare. A couple weeks later, Troy had picked up Sophia from preschool, that she had started this week, and buckled her into her car seat. He walked to the front seat and got in and started driving home.

"Daddy?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah sweetheart?" Troy asked.

"Is mommy sad?" Sophia asked.

"Why would mommy be sad Soph?" Troy asked.

"She seems sad. Did I do something bad?" Sophia asked.

Troy smiled. Sophia reminded Troy of Gabriella in every single way.

"No baby. You didn't do anything. Mommy is just dealing with grown up stuff" Troy said.

"What kind of grown up stuff?" Sophia asked.

"Grown up stuff is secret. We don't talk about stuff like that with kids" Troy said trying not to laugh.

"Oh" Sophia said.

"Do you understand honey?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Sophia said.

"If you have any questions about mommy, you can always ask me Soph" Troy said.

Sophia nodded. Troy pulled into the driveway and parked the car. He got out of the car and went to the backseat and unbuckled Sophia from her seat. Troy smiled as he watched his daughter run from the car to the front door of the house. He unlocked the door and they walked in.

"Brie?" Troy called.

"In the kitchen" Gabriella said.

"How are you doing?" Troy asked.

"Fine" Gabriella said.

"Soph's been asking more questions" Troy said.

"What did she ask this time?" Gabriella asked.

"She asked if you were sad and if she had done anything to cause it" Troy explained.

Gabriella sighed.

"I'm neglecting our children" Gabriella said.

"No you are not, babe. You are grieving" Troy said.

"What should I do?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled slightly and opened his arms. Gabriella walked into them and wrapped her arms around her husband.

"Maybe you should spend some time with Soph. Just the two of you. A mommy and daughter day. If she wants to talk, let her" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I can take her to the park" Gabriella suggested.

"Perfect" Troy said.

"How's Josh?" Gabriella asked.

"Fine. He doesn't ask anything" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and nodded. Later that day, Sophia got up from her nap and walked into the kitchen where Gabriella was. Gabriella saw Sophia come in and smiled.

"Hey sweetheart, did you have a good sleep?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes" Sophia said simply.

"Good. I was thinking that maybe we could go to the park today. Does that sound fun?" Gabriella asked.

Sophia's face lit up.

"Yay!" Sophia said.

"Let's get you ready to go and we will go to the park" Gabriella said.

Gabriella took Sophia's hand and helped her daughter get ready for the day.

"Go say goodbye to daddy baby" Gabriella said.

Sophia walked into the living room and went over to her Troy, who was watching television.

"Daddy we are going to the park!" Sophia said excitedly.

Troy smiled. He picked up Sophia and set her on his lap.

"That sounds fun. I'll see you later okay? I love you baby" Troy said kissing Sophia's cheek.

"I love you too. Bye daddy" Sophia said.

Sophia slid off of Troy's lap and walked out of the room. That night, Gabriella walked into the house with a sleeping Sophia. Troy looked up from the television and from Josh, who was sleeping on his chest.

"Looks like you had a boys night too" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"I'm going to put her down" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I'm going to put him down too" Troy said.

The couple walked to their children's bedrooms and placed them both in bed. They then met in the kitchen. Gabriella pulled herself onto the counter and sat on the edge.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"Of course. What's up?" Troy asked.

"I know that we already talked about this but I want to have a serious conversation. I want to try again. I know that you wanted me to go talk to someone before we started to try, but I feel like it's not going to do anything. I feel better just being with you and the kids. I want to have another baby, your baby" Gabriella explained.

Troy nodded.

"Do you think you are okay to handle that right now? I want to have another baby too Brie. I just don't want you to be still mourning the loss of this one, while you are pregnant with another one. I want us to have a clean slate. I know that it won't change what happened. I know that you have been working hard to deal with it. I know you have sweetheart and I don't want to give an answer that you don't want to hear. Are you really ready for that?" Troy asked.

"I think I am. I want to try. I want us to be intimate..." Gabriella started.

Troy's face softened. He looked down and realized what she meant.

"I didn't want to take advantage of you Brie" Troy said.

"I know you didn't. I just wanted to feel like I was doing something right" Gabriella said.

Troy put a hand on Gabriella's cheek.

"Having sex is something that you never know if it's right or wrong. You have been doing everything right baby. I never wanted you to feel like you weren't. I just wanted you to grieve" Troy said.

Gabriella had tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry" Gabriella said.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I should have known what was going on. Come here" Troy said opening his arms.

Gabriella wrapped her arms and legs around her husband. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella and kissed her head softly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for" Troy repeated.

Gabriella sniffled and pulled away. She loosened her grip on Troy and looked at him. Troy wiped Gabriella's tears away.

"So we have a decision to make" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm ready" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Are you?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"Yes" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"So, we are going to make a baby" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips. Gabriella put her hand on Troy's cheek and kissed him back with every emotion she felt.


	3. Three Times The Fun

A week later, Troy was working at his office with a huge case load. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. There was a knock on the door and Troy looked up.

"Come in" Troy said.

A nurse opened the door and smiled.

"Dr. Bolton, I think I found a little lady that is trying to find her daddy" the nurse said holding Sophia.

Troy smiled. He got up and walked over to the nurse and opened his arms.

"Hi baby. How are you feeling?" Troy asked as the nurse placed Sophia into his arms.

"My tummy hurts" Sophia said.

Troy kissed his daughter's warm head. Sophia had the stomach flu and had been bed ridden for the last couple of days.

"Where's Gabriella?" Troy asked.

"I'm here. Soph was just eager to see her daddy" Gabriella said poking her head in.

Troy smiled. The nurse left the office. Gabriella walked in and closed the door.

"Did her temperature go down since this morning?" Troy asked.

"A little bit. But, she's still regurgitating everything she ingests" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed and looked at Sophia, who had her head leaning against her father's chest.

"Josh still doesn't show any signs?" Troy confirmed.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"That's good at least" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Daddy, I'm tired" Sophia said.

"I know you are baby. But it's not nap time yet. You have to stay awake a little longer" Troy said rubbing her back soothingly.

"How long does this usually last in toddlers?" Gabriella asked.

"It could last a couple days or a week at most" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Where's Josh?" Troy asked.

"With my mom" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Daddy, I want to go home" Sophia said.

"I know you do, Soph. But, I have to make sure you aren't getting more sick okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Sophia said.

Troy got up and walked out of the office with Gabriella following close behind. They all went into an exam room. Gabriella shut the door behind them. Troy placed Sophia on the exam table.

"Sweetheart, is it just your tummy that hurts?" Troy asked his daughter.

"My mouth" Sophia said.

"Okay. I am just going to feel your tummy okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Sophia said.

Troy lifted his daughter's shirt and felt around her stomach. He then put her shirt back in its original place.

"She's not constipated. So that's a good thing" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Potty training isn't the answer to that" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded. He opened a drawer and pulled out a tongue depressor.

"Baby, I need to check your mouth. Can you stick your tongue out?" Troy asked.

Sophia did as she was told and Troy looked into his daughter's mouth.

"She has a sore throat. It's red in there. I am pretty sure it is the stomach flu now" Troy said.

"So what do we do?" Gabriella asked.

"We need to make sure she is hydrated and eating well. She needs to sleep a little more during naps. We can give her the flu meds that are at home when she goes to bed" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Alright. Soph, mommy is going to take you home okay?" Troy said.

Sophia nodded. Troy lifted his daughter into his arms.

"I love you baby" Troy said.

"I love you daddy" Sophia said.

Gabriella and Sophia left the office. That night, Troy came home and saw Gabriella reading a book to their children. He leaned against the door frame and listened. A couple moments later, Gabriella finished reading and looked up and saw Troy.

"Hey, look who is home" Gabriella said.

"Daddy!" Josh said jumping into Troy's arms.

"Hey bud. Soph, how are you feeling honey?" Troy asked.

"Tummy still hurts" Sophia said.

"I'm going to give you some medicine to make you feel better" Troy said.

Troy set Josh down and walked to the medicine cabinet in the hallway and opened it. He pulled out a bottle and poured the correct dosage of the medication into a little cup. Troy walked over to his daughter and handed her the cup.

"Drink this honey. It will help you feel better" Troy said.

Sophia drank the liquid and handed Troy the cup back.

"How was the office after we left?" Gabriella asked.

"Uneventful. The nurses couldn't get over how big Josh and Soph have gotten" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. The little family relaxed around the house the rest of the day. That night, the couple had put the kids to bed and walked out of their rooms. Troy put his arm around Gabriella and they walked to their bedroom and lied down on their bed.

"Soph seems like she is getting better" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"This is the first time she has really been sick" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said as she snuggled into Troy's side.

"When do you want to start trying?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy .

"Whenever you want to" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips passionately. Gabriella kissed him back with just as much passion. Troy pulled away and leaned his forehead against his wife's.

"I guess we can start now" Gabriella said breathlessly.

Troy smiled and nodded. Clothes were removed and intense lovemaking had commenced. The couple hoped that a new baby would be in their future. A couple weeks later, Troy came home from work and saw Gabriella with Josh, crying in the kitchen. Josh was sitting on the counter and Gabriella was opening a band-aid.

"What happened buddy?" Troy asked.

"I fell" Josh said.

"He was running in the house and he tripped and scraped his knee" Gabriella said.

"You can't run in the house Josh. You will get hurt" Troy said.

Josh nodded. Gabriella finished putting a band-aid on Josh's knee and helped him get off the counter.

"Go play Josh" Gabriella said.

Josh left the room. Gabriella looked at Troy.

"How are you doing?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled. The couple had been actively trying and Gabriella was exhausted.

"Okay. A little tired" Gabriella said.

"We were up late last night" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled remembering the events of the night before.

"Have you taken a test?" Troy asked.

"No. I haven't shown any signs so I don't want to take one yet" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I just want everything to be okay this time" Gabriella said.

"I know you do baby, and it will be. Last time was not anything we could have predicted" Troy said.

"I am just scared I guess" Gabriella said.

"And you have every right to be Brie. I'm scared too and this is our third baby" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"We can be scared together" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella kissed her husband's cheek.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you. I got the job" Gabriella said.

A smile grew on Troy's face. Gabriella had finally received some news on all of the job applications that she had sent out.

"That's great sweetheart. I'm so happy for you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I'm happy to be going back to work but also kind of sad because I won't be with the kids all day" Gabriella said.

"You got used to it" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Well, this calls for a celebration. When do you start?" Troy asked.

"Next week" Gabriella said.

"Maybe we can schedule some time to continue this baby making situation" Troy said leaning in and kissing Gabriella's lips softly.

Gabriella smiled into the kiss and pulled away slowly.

"You're crazy wildcat" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled at the nickname that he hadn't heard for so long.

"Crazy about you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Mommy" Sophia said.

Gabriella and Troy looked and saw their daughter standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Yes baby?" Gabriella asked.

"What's baby making?" Sophia asked innocently.

Troy tried to hold in his laughter. Gabriella glared at Troy. Troy cleared his throat and kneeled down to Sophia's level.

"Soph, baby making is something that mommy's and daddy's do to give you a brother or a sister" Troy explained.

Gabriella's face turned bright red.

"Oh" Sophia said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Do you understand sweetheart?" Troy asked.

"Yes" Sophia said.

"Go play" Troy said.

Sophia walked out of the room. Once she was out of earshot, Gabriella looked at Troy and glared at him.

"You have to admit that it was funny" Troy said.

"She's two Troy" Gabriella said.

"Well, would you have liked me to lie?" Troy asked.

"No, but you didn't have to say details like that" Gabriella said.

"She's not going to remember this conversation later. Don't worry" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed and shook her head. A couple weeks later, Troy opened the front door to a dark house. He turned on the light in the living room and saw a note on the table. Troy walked over to the table and picked it up.

 _Next year will be three times the fun...details to be announced._

Troy smiled. He walked into the bedroom and saw the light on in the bathroom. Troy knocked on the door and heard a faint "come in". He opened door and walked in slowly. Troy saw Gabriella taking a bath and smiled. He kneeled down to the tub's level.

"Did you get my note?" Gabriella asked trying to hide her smile.

Troy nodded.

"I did. Are you excited?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"But also petrified" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"If you are scared about anything sweetheart, I want you to talk to me okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Did you take a test or did you go see Dr. Hart?" Troy asked.

"I took a test. After I saw the results, I called Dr. Hart's office and scheduled an appointment. I also called Pat and made sure that you had that hour clear" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I'm so happy" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"We are going to have a baby" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded and kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"Where are-" Troy started.

"Your mom called and asked to spend some time with the kids" Gabriella said.

"Perfect. I'll let you finish your bath" Troy said kissing Gabriella's cheek.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

Troy walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He smiled and walked away. An hour later, Gabriella came out of the bathroom and saw Troy in the kitchen. She walked into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around her husband from behind. Troy turned around and brought Gabriella's chin up and kissed her lips.

"How are we going to tell the kids?" Gabriella asked.

"Maybe we should wait until you get checked out and that it's confirmed. We don't know how far along you are and I personally want you to be out of the miscarriage point before we tell them" Troy said.

"I agree" Gabriella said.

Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella and kissed her head softly.

"You're nervous" Troy concluded.

Gabriella smiled sheepishly.

"How can I not be? I miscarried. I don't want that to happen again. I don't think I'll be able to handle that again" Gabriella said worry washing over her face.

"Hey, look at me" Troy said softly.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"I know you are scared. But, we don't even know for sure if anything is happening right now. Let's relax and see what Dr. Hart says and we will go from there. There's no point in worrying about something that might not happen" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Let's go see Dr. Hart and see what she says" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

The next day, Gabriella was waiting in an exam room for Troy at Dr. Hart's office. There was a knock on the door and Troy poked his head in.

"Hey sweetheart" Troy said.

"Hey" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips softly.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"A little nauseous, but nothing to worry about" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart walked in, holding Gabriella's file.

"Gabriella, I didn't think you would be back so soon" Dr. Hart said.

"Yeah. We dealt with the miscarriage and we still wanted to have another baby so we tried" Gabriella explained.

Dr. Hart nodded.

"I'm assuming you came in because you had a positive test" Dr. Hart said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Let's see what's going on" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella nodded and lied down on the table. Dr. Hart put a blanket over Gabriella's legs and got the ultrasound set up and heated.

"How are Sophia and Josh doing?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Great. They are curious toddlers" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart looked at the monitor and saw that everything was set. She pulled Gabriella's gown up, revealing her toned stomach. Dr. Hart then picked up a bottle of gel and squeezed some of the product onto Gabriella's abdomen. Troy took Gabriella's hand in hers. Dr. Hart took a wand and moved the gel around with it and looked at the monitor.

"There's your baby" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella smiled. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Is it healthy? What is the chance-" Gabriella started.

"Gabi, relax. Everything looks fine" Dr. Hart said moving the wand again.

"But-" Gabriella started.

"Brie" Troy said softly giving her hand a supportive squeeze.

"You are about two months along" Dr. Hart said.

"The baby is okay?" Gabriella asked.

Dr. Hart and Troy nodded.

"Right now, everything looks perfect" Dr. Hart said.

"No risk of miscarriage?" Gabriella asked.

Dr. Hart shook her head.

"You have a month before you are out of that zone, but it looks promising. Congratulations" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I'll see you both in a month" Dr. Hart said.

Dr. Hart left the room. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"So, a celebration is order I think Miss Montez" Troy joked.

"It's Bolton to you! And yes, I think so too" Gabriella said.

Troy laughed and leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too baby. We will celebrate when I get home. Should we tell the kids? You are farther along than you were last time" Troy said.

"I want to" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Then that is what we will do" Troy said.

Gabriella kissed Troy's lips softly.

"I got to go. I have a patient" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips one more time.

"I'll see you at home" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

The couple went their separate ways. They were so happy to be pregnant again and were hoping that everything would go smoothly.


	4. Nightmare Part II

That night, Troy came home from work and walked into the living room and saw Gabriella watching television with Josh lying on her chest. He smiled.

"Hey guys" Troy said.

"Hi honey, how was the office?" Gabriella asked.

"Fine. Where's Soph?" Troy asked.

"Still taking her nap" Gabriella said.

"Oh" Troy said.

"Let her have a couple more minutes of sleep and then I will wake her up" Gabriella said.

"No, I'll get her" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

A couple minutes later, Troy went to go wake up his daughter. He came back with Sophia in his arms and placed her on the couch next to Gabriella.

"Guys, we need to talk to you" Troy said.

"I didn't do it!" Josh said.

Gabriella giggled.

"You didn't do anything Josh. We have to tell you and your sister something" Gabriella said.

"What is it?" Sophia asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy, who looked at her back. Gabriella smiled and nodded, silently telling Troy to tell their kids what was going on.

"Mommy is going to have a baby" Troy said.

"Where is it?" Sophia asked.

"It's my tummy Soph" Gabriella said.

"Can you take it out?" Josh asked.

The couple laughed.

"In a few months. The baby needs to grow and get strong like you before it can come out" Troy said.

"Oh" Sophia and Josh said simultaneously.

"Are you excited about the new baby?" Gabriella asked.

Sophia and Josh nodded. Gabriella smiled. Later that night, Troy walked into the bedroom after putting the kids to bed.

"Did we do a bad thing? Was wanting a third baby too much?" Gabriella asked as she sat on the bed in her bra and underwear.

"Babe, Sophia is two and Josh is four. They don't understand what is going on and were in shock" Troy explained.

"The look on their faces" Gabriella said covering her face with her hands.

"Brie, just give them some time to process it. Maybe if we talk about it more they will get used to the idea" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed. Troy climbed onto the bed and took Gabriella's hands off of her face.

"We have to let them process what's going on" Troy said.

"Mommy" Sophia called.

Gabriella looked at Troy, who looked at her. She got out of bed and walked out of the room and into Sophia's.

"Mommy's here. What's wrong baby?" Gabriella asked lifting Sophia onto her lap.

"Are you going to forget about me when the baby comes?" Sophia asked.

"Soph, no. Daddy and I will never forget about you or Josh. We love you both so much" Gabriella explained.

Sophia nodded.

"How about you come and sleep in our bed tonight okay?" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Sophia said.

"Alright" Gabriella said getting off the bed and lifting Sophia into her arms and placing her on her hip.

Gabriella walked out of the bedroom and into the master bedroom. Troy smiled when he saw Sophia being carried by Gabriella.

"Hey sweetheart, why are you up so late?" Troy asked as Gabriella placed their daughter into his arms.

"She's worried about when the baby comes" Gabriella said.

"What are you worried about honey?" Troy asked.

"You are going to forget about me when the baby comes" Sophia said.

Troy smiled and kissed Sophia's head softly.

"Sophia, I will always love you and I will never ever forget about you when the baby comes okay? You are my little baby" Troy said.

Sophia nodded.

"I told her that she could sleep in here tonight" Gabriella said.

"Okay, just for tonight" Troy said helping Sophia get into the bed.

Sophia snuggled into Gabriella's chest.

"Night bug, I love you" Gabriella said.

"Love you" Sophia said as she fell asleep.

The next morning, Troy woke up to Sophia sleeping against his chest. He smiled. Gabriella stirred and opened her eyes. She looked over and smiled at her husband.

"Looks like she slept well" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella quickly got up and ran to the bathroom. Troy carefully got up, trying not to wake his daughter up and followed Gabriella. Gabriella sat in front of the toilet and released the remains of her stomach. Troy held his wife's hair and rubbed her back soothingly. Ten minutes later, Gabriella moved away from the toilet and stood up. She sighed and frowned when she saw a scared Sophia looking at her.

"Baby, I'm okay" Gabriella said as she brushed her teeth.

"Are you sick?" Sophia asked.

"Soph, you know how the baby is in mommy's tummy?" Troy asked.

"Yes" Sophia said.

"Well, the baby needs a place to grow and that causes mommy to get sick" Troy explained.

Troy saw that Sophia still had a scared look on her face. Gabriella finished brushing her teeth and wiped her mouth. She kneeled in front of Sophia and opened her arms. Sophia walked into them and Gabriella kissed her head.

"I'm okay honey. The baby is just trying to get used to being in my tummy" Gabriella said.

"Why is it being mean to you?" Sophia asked innocently.

Gabriella smiled.

"It's not being mean. Babies just need space to grow and that's what the baby is doing. Taking all the space there is" Gabriella said.

Sophia nodded.

"Do you understand baby?" Gabriella asked.

"I think" Sophia said.

"Okay. I don't want you to be scared" Gabriella said.

Sophia nodded.

"Go play Soph" Troy said.

Sophia left the room. Gabriella got up from the floor and sighed.

"I didn't think she would come in" Gabriella said.

"I know. This is the first time that this has happened so she got a little freaked out. It's normal. I see it all the time" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"When do you want to tell our families?" Gabriella asked.

"I kind of want to wait until you hit the three month mark just so we are out of the miscarriage point to tell them" Troy said.

"Even though everything is okay?" Gabriella asked.

"Even though everything is fine, I just want to take precautions" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella smiled when she saw Josh standing in the doorway with his thumb in his mouth and blanket in the other hand.

"Hey buddy, how did you sleep?" Gabriella asked.

"Good. Sophia said you are sick" Josh said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. She looked at Troy.

"Josh, remember how I told you that there was a baby inside my tummy?" Gabriella asked as she picked him up and placed him on the bed.

"Yeah" Josh said.

"Well, the baby needs a place to grow and my tummy needs to make space for it. That's why I got sick" Gabriella explained as she sat on the bed next to him.

"Oh" Josh said.

"Do you understand buddy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. Can you talk to the baby?" Josh asked.

"Yeah, you can talk to it. The baby can hear you" Gabriella said.

Josh climbed onto Gabriella's lap and leaned his head against Gabriella's stomach.

"Hi baby, I'm Josh and I am going to be your big brother. I'm four years old" Josh said.

Gabriella smiled and looked at Troy, who smiled back at her. Josh kissed Gabriella's stomach gently.

"That was nice, Josh" Gabriella said.

Josh smiled. A couple weeks later, Maria and Mark came over to visit.

"Sophia, you are getting so big" Maria said picking her granddaughter up and placing her on her lap.

"Grandma, mommy is going to have a baby" Sophia said.

Gabriella and Troy froze. Gabriella cursed under her breath.

"Gabriella, come here" Maria said.

Gabriella, who was in the kitchen, came into the living room where her mother and children were sitting.

"Is that true?" Maria asked.

"We wanted to wait to tell you until I was three months along" Gabriella said.

"So you told Sophia first?" Maria asked.

"Mom" Gabriella started.

"I understand Gabi" Maria said.

Gabriella closed her eyes. She felt like she was about to explode.

"I just went through a miscarriage. I didn't want to tell everyone before it was safe to do so" Gabriella said.

"But, you knew one of the kids were going to tell someone" Maria said.

"We told the kids because I knew that keeping the morning sickness hidden from them would be impossible" Gabriella said.

"Oh" Maria said.

"Your mom and I have to tell you something also" Mark said.

"What's up?" Gabriella asked.

"We are moving to Connecticut. Your mom got transferred" Mark explained.

Gabriella blinked.

"Gabi" Maria said.

"Don't" Gabriella said through her teeth.

Gabriella walked passed her mother and stepfather.

"Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy, with tears in her eyes. She walked passed him and went into the bedroom and slammed the door.

"Troy" Maria started.

"Maria, I think you should go" Troy said solemnly.

"I didn't have a choice Troy" Maria said.

"You didn't have a choice? What do you mean you didn't have a choice? You took the job without even thinking twice about it. How the job will affect your family and your grandchildren, who are just beginning to figure out who you are. I put my guard down because you showed Gabriella that you wanted to be in her life, Maria. It was my mistake" Troy said.

"Troy" Maria said.

"Please shut the door on your way out" Troy said.

Maria and Mark left the house. Troy looked at his confused children.

"What's wrong with mommy?" Sophia asked.

Troy kneeled down and Sophia walked into her father's arms.

"Nothing baby. Mommy is alright. Do you want to go and see her?" Troy asked.

Sophia nodded.

"Alright" Troy said standing up and taking his daughter's hand.

Troy walked to the bedroom and opened the door slowly. He poked his head in.

"Sweetheart" Troy said.

"Why did she do this to me?" Gabriella asked.

"I don't know honey. I wish I did. A very concerned three year old wants to make sure her mommy is okay" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy lifted Sophia into his arms and set her on his hip. He opened the door and stood in the doorway.

"Mommy" Sophia said.

Gabriella looked at her daughter and smiled.

"Soph, I'm fine" Gabriella said.

"Why are you crying then?" Sophia asked.

Gabriella put her hand on her face and realized she was, in fact, crying. She cursed under her breath.

"Honey, I'm just having a bad day" Gabriella said.

"Why are you having a bad day? Grandma Maria is here" Sophia said innocently.

Gabriella looked at Troy for help.

"Sophia, grandma is going to go on vacation and mommy is upset about it" Troy explained.

"How long will she be gone for?" Sophia asked.

"A while baby. That's why I'm sad" Gabriella said.

Sophia motioned that she didn't want to be held anymore. Troy placed his daughter on the floor and Sophia walked over to her mother and climbed onto the bed. Gabriella smiled and hugged Sophia and kissed her head.

"Go play Soph" Troy said.

Sophia walked out of the room. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Am I allowed to be mad?" Gabriella asked.

"You can react in whatever way you choose to" Troy said.

"Was I not enough?" Gabriella asked.

"Brie, take a breath" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"Troy" Gabriella said as she started to cry.

Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella.

"I'm here. Everything is going to be fine" Troy said.

Gabriella cried into Troy's chest. Troy rubbed his wife's back soothingly.

"We've been through this and we can do it again" Troy said.

"It's not fair" Gabriella said.

"I know it's not baby. But, remember mom is the one that is going to miss out on everything. Not you" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Josh poked his head into the room with a piece of paper.

"Mommy" Josh said.

Gabriella sniffled and looked at her son.

"Hi baby" Gabriella said.

"I made you something" Josh said.

"Let me see" Gabriella said lifting him onto her lap.

Josh gave Gabriella the piece of paper that he was holding. Gabriella smiled when she looked at her son's work of art.

"That's daddy, Sophia, you, my little brother, grandma Lucy, grandpa Jack, and grandma Maria" Josh said.

Gabriella smiled and kissed her son's head softly.

"I love it sweetheart" Gabriella said.

"I don't want you to be sad mommy" Josh said.

Troy smiled.

"Now that, is my child! High five Josh" Troy said holding his hand out.

Josh gave Troy a high five. Gabriella shook her head.

"You guys are crazy" Gabriella said.

"Wait, so Josh do you think the baby is a boy?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. I want a brother" Josh said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I vote for a boy too" Troy said.

"What if it's a girl Josh what are you doing to do then?" Gabriella asked.

Josh stopped what he was doing and stared into space, thinking of a plan.

"I don't know mommy. I'm just a kid" Josh said nonchalantly.

Troy laughed.

"He really is your child" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Mommy, is your tummy going to get big again?" Josh asked.

Gabriella smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, your baby brother or sister has to fit in somewhere" Gabriella said.

"Do you have to live at the doctor again?" Josh asked.

"Not if I don't need to" Gabriella said.

Gabriella was happy that Josh was so interested in her pregnancy. A couple weeks later, the doorbell rang. Gabriella walked to the front door and opened it, revealing her mother's face.

"What do you want?" Gabriella asked.

"Gabi, can we talk about this please? You've been avoiding my calls and messages" Maria started.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"Hold on. Do not come in. I need to get the kids out of here" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Maria said.

Gabriella walked into the kitchen.

"My mother is here and she wants to discuss the move. Can you keep the kids occupied please? I don't want them to see her" Gabriella said.

"Sure sweetheart. Let me know if you need me" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips. Troy smiled into the kiss. Gabriella walked back to the front door and opened it again.

"Come in" Gabriella said.

Maria came into the house and the two women went into the living room and sat down.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Gabriella asked solemnly.

"Gabi" Maria started.

"My children know you mom. They have a relationship with you now. Do you really want to take that away from them? They are already asking what's going on. What am I supposed to tell them?" Gabriella asked.

"I understand why you are upset. But you know that-" Maria started.

"That staying in one place is never guaranteed. Yes mother...I know the line because I was the one that had to live by it! I don't want my children to have to live by that either!" Gabriella said raising her voice.

Troy came into the room.

"What's going on in here?" Troy asked.

Maria swallowed hard. Gabriella looked down at the floor.

"You know what...If you want to move to Conneticut, by all means do it. But do not expect any kind of relationship with me or my children. I'm done" Gabriella said softly.

Gabriella stood up and started walking out of the room.

"Gabriella" Maria started.

Gabriella ignored her mother and walked into the bedroom and shut the door.

"Troy" Maria started.

Troy shook his head. Maria stood up and left the house. Troy took a deep breath and released it. He leaned his head back and groaned. Troy walked over to the bedroom door and knocked.

"Brie, can I come in?" Troy asked.

"I just want to be alone. I'm sorry Troy" Gabriella said.

"Baby, don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. This is just your way of coping and that's okay" Troy said.

"I feel fine, if that's what you are worried about" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"That wasn't what I was worried about but it's always good to know. I'll give you some time to yourself. Call me if you need anything okay?" Troy said through the door.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

"Your welcome sweetheart" Troy said.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

Troy left the hallway and sighed. He didn't know when this nightmare was going to end.


	5. When Kids Have Questions

That night Gabriella came out of the bedroom with her eyes swollen and cheeks with tear stains on them. She walked into the kitchen and saw Troy sitting at the table on his laptop. Troy looked up and smiled when he saw Gabriella.

"Hey baby, you okay?" Troy asked.

"I'll be fine" Gabriella said softly.

"Kids are in bed. I saved you a plate if you are hungry. It's in the fridge" Troy said.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

Gabriella walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. She found the plate that Troy had mentioned and took it out. Gabriella placed the plate in the microwave for a minute and took it out after it was done. She walked to the table that Troy was sitting at and sat down and started eating.

"When did they leave?" Gabriella asked.

"As soon as you closed the bedroom door" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She pushed her plate away from her.

"I'm not hungry anymore" Gabriella said.

"Brie, do not stress yourself out about this. It isn't worth the time or the effort. I know that you are upset honey and I could only imagine what you must feel, but you have to take care of yourself. Just because this is happening doesn't mean you can shut down" Troy said softly.

"It hurts me to know that she still only cares about her job more than me" Gabriella said with tears in her eyes.

Troy nodded understandingly.

"I know it does" Troy said.

"I'm going to go through my pregnancy without her, again" Gabriella said.

"Come here" Troy said.

Gabriella got up and sat on Troy's lap.

"We are going to have this baby together okay?" Troy started.

Gabriella nodded.

"You and I are a team. I'm going to be here whenever you need me. It doesn't matter if I am at the office or wherever. You are my first priority. I know it's going to be hard not having your mom here. But, life is going to go on. As horrible as that might sound now, she will have to live with the guilt of not being here Gabriella, not you. We dealt with so much before you mom came back when you were pregnant with Josh. I know that if we had to deal with something like that again, we can do it. _You_ can do it okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella had tears running down her face and nodded. She wrapped her arms around her husband and buried her face in his neck and cried. Troy rubbed her back soothingly.

"It's going to be okay Brie. I promise you" Troy said.

Twenty minutes later, Gabriella's cries calmed down. She sat up in Troy's arms and wiped her remaining tears away.

"How do you feel?" Troy asked.

"Better" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Good" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips softly.

"Mommy" Josh said.

The couple looked at their son, who had tears running down his face.

"What's wrong buddy?" Troy asked.

"I had a bad dream" Josh said.

"Come here baby" Gabriella said getting off of Troy.

Josh walked over to the table and Gabriella picked him up and placed him in her lap.

"What was your dream about Josh?" Troy asked.

"The baby didn't like me" Josh said.

Troy and Gabriella smiled.

"Sweetheart, the baby is going to love you so much. You and Soph are going to be it's big brother and sister" Gabriella said.

"And we will always love you both" Troy added.

"You have nothing to be worried about Josh okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Josh said.

"I'm going to bring you back to bed" Gabriella said.

Gabriella got up and took her son's hand and the two of them left the room. A couple minutes later, Gabriella came back into the kitchen.

"Do you think it's going to be hard for them to adapt to the new baby?" Gabriella asked.

"It's a big change in their lives. They are going to have to learn how to share three ways, divide attention and all of that kind of stuff. It's going to be hard at the beginning but eventually everything will level out" Troy said.

"I just don't want them to feel like the baby doesn't like them or that we forgot about them" Gabriella said.

"That's not going to happen sweetheart. They both know that we love them" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"Come on, let's get you in bed" Troy said kissing Gabriella's head softly.

Troy entwined his fingers with Gabriella's and helped her stand up. He kissed her head softly.

"Come on, let's go" Troy said.

The couple walked into their bedroom and got into bed. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest.

"Are you feeling okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, just slightly nauseous but other than that, I'm okay" Gabriella said.

"Alright" Troy said.

The couple fell asleep in each other's arms. A couple weeks later, Troy came home from work and saw Gabriella, turned to the side, and looking at her stomach in the mirror.

"What's going on over here?" Troy asked kissing Gabriella's cheek.

"I'm starting to show" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"That's a good thing right?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, but I feel like I'm really really fat and I don't want the kids to think I am sick-" Gabriella started but then was interrupted.

"Honey, listen to me" Troy said placing both of his cool hands on both sides of Gabriella's face.

"What?" Gabriella asked.

"You aren't fat. You are pregnant and you never looked more beautiful. If they ask, we will tell them that the baby needs a place to grow and that's why your body is starting to change" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"I just don't want to scare them" Gabriella said.

"You won't. If they have a question, they can come to you or I and ask" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"That's all that is going through your head right now?" Troy asked.

"I just suddenly thought of it and I got worried" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded understanding his wife's reasoning.

"Josh was too young to understand what was going on when Sophia was born. Now that both of them are older, they are starting to observe things and I don't want them to freak out when my bump starts growing and they don't know what's going on" Gabriella said.

"I get it Brie. I really do. Like I said, if they have questions, they can come talk to us" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Are you feeling okay?" Troy asked.

"A little nauseous, but other than that, I'm okay" Gabriella said.

"Did you only throw up once today?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Why don't you go and take a nap? You need to get some rest" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Gabriella left the room. An hour later, Gabriella felt the bed shift. She opened her eyes and saw Sophia trying to snuggle into her chest.

"Hey Soph" Gabriella said.

"Mommy" Sophia said.

"Yes sweetheart?" Gabriella asked.

"Is that the baby?" Sophia asked pointing to her mother's stomach.

Gabriella smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, it's growing inside my tummy" Gabriella said.

Sophia placed her hand on Gabriella's stomach, warily.

"It's okay, Soph. You can touch it. You won't hurt the baby" Gabriella said.

Gabriella pulled her shirt up, exposing her small bump. Sophia leaned down and kissed Gabriella's stomach carefully.

"That's was sweet Soph" Gabriella said.

"Did the baby feel it?" Sophia asked.

"I'm sure it did baby" Gabriella said.

Troy poked his head into the bedroom and smiled when he saw Gabriella and Sophia.

"What are you guys up to?" Troy asked.

"I kissed the baby" Sophia said.

"You did?" Troy asked as he walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed and placed Sophia on his lap.

"Uh huh" Sophia said.

"When the baby starts getting bigger, it will start to kick in mommy's tummy too" Troy said.

"It will?" Sophia asked incredulously.

"Yeah, you will be able to feel it" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled as she watched how happy Sophia was, talking about the baby.

"You were once in my tummy too" Gabriella said.

"Really?" Sophia asked.

"Really. You would kick mine and daddy's hand all the time" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I remember the day you were born" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Me too" Gabriella said.

"Come on Soph, let's let mommy rest okay?" Troy said.

"Okay. If your tummy starts growing, I want to know" Sophia said.

Gabriella and Troy laughed.

"I'll let you know baby. Don't worry" Gabriella said.

Sophia skipped out of the room. Troy smiled as he watched his daughter leave.

"I'm glad she is asking questions" Gabriella said.

"What did she ask?" Troy asked.

"She at first was nervous to put her hand on my stomach because she thought she would hurt the baby. I then pulled my shirt up so she could see my stomach and she kissed it. She was wondering whether the baby felt her kiss it or not" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"She's just curious about what's going on. I see it all the time in my patients with mother's that are expecting" Troy said.

"Yeah. Josh doesn't seem to interested" Gabriella said.

"He's a boy Brie. He probably doesn't want anyone to know that he's interested" Troy said.

Gabriella shrugged.

"How was your nap?" Troy asked.

"Good, and it got better because I got to snuggle a little bit with Soph" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"See, if she is fine with your pregnancy, I don't think there will be any problems" Troy said.

"Maybe, we will see" Gabriella said.

"When is your next doctor's appointment?" Troy asked.

"On Friday" Gabriella said.

"I'll ask Pat to get it cleared" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Have you talked to your mom?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"I don't want to" Gabriella said.

"When does she leave? Did she tell you?" Troy asked.

"No, and I don't really want to know right now" Gabriella said.

"If you need to-" Troy started.

"If you need to talk, I am always here. Yes, baby I know" Gabriella said.

"I was just trying to help" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly and leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"I know. I'm just frustrated about the whole thing" Gabriella said.

"I know you are and I am too. But, it's her choice" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. A couple days later, it was Friday. Gabriella was waiting in an exam room for Troy and Dr. Hart to arrive. There was a knock on the door and Troy poked his head in.

"Hey baby girl" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Hey" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

"How are you feeling today?" Troy asked.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Good. Ready to see this baby?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. There was a knock on the door and Dr. Hart came into the room.

"Hey guys, how are you feeling Gabi?" Dr. Hart asked.

"Fine. A little stressed, but fine" Gabriella said.

"What's going on?" Dr. Hart asked as she washed her hands.

"My mom is moving again" Gabriella said.

"Oh Gabi...I'm so sorry" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella smiled sadly.

"Thank you. Hopefully this move won't stress the baby out like Josh did" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart smiled.

"You just try the best you can. That's all you can do. Do you your yoga, get enough sleep, eat well, and you should be fine" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella looked at Troy, who smiled at her.

"She's right Brie" Dr. Hart said.

Dr. Hart smiled.

"Do you want to see your baby today?" Dr. Hart asked.

Gabriella nodded and lied back on the exam table. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his and entwined their fingers together. Dr. Hart pulled up Gabriella's gown and turned on the ultrasound.

"How are the kids?" Dr. Hart asked.

"They are fine. Sophia is really interested in my pregnancy" Gabriella said.

"Good" Dr. Hart said.

Troy smiled. Dr. Hart grabbed a bottle of gel and squeezed some of the product onto Gabriella's stomach. She then picked up a wand and started moving the gel around with it. Dr. Hart looked at the monitor and smiled.

"There's your baby" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella and Troy smiled.

"Is it healthy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes, very healthy and not in distress" Dr. Hart said moving the wand around.

Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly. Gabriella sighed in relief.

"Everything's okay" Troy said.

"Everything is okay" Gabriella said in confirmation.

"I'm going to print these pictures for you and I will be back to examine you" Dr. Hart said.

"Alright" Gabriella said.

Dr. Hart left the room.

"Are you happy?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled and nodded.

"So happy. I can't wait until he or she is born" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Dr. Hart came back into the room and handed Troy the sonogram.

"Alright Gabriella, I just need to examine you" Dr. Hart said putting on a pair of latex gloves.

"Okay" Gabriella said spreading her legs apart.

Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Take a deep breath for me Gabi" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and Dr. Hart began her exam. Troy smoothed Gabriella's hair back. Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled. Troy smiled and squeezed her hand in support. A couple moments later, Dr. Hart looked up at Gabriella and smiled.

"Everything looks okay" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella released the breath that she had been holding in. Troy smiled and kissed his wife's head softly.

"So does this mean I'm in the clear and that there won't be a miscarriage?" Gabriella asked.

Dr. Hart nodded as she wrote notes in Gabriella's chart.

"You are in the clear. Congrats" Dr. Hart said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I'll see you guys in a month" Dr. Hart said.

Dr. Hart left the room. Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled.

"No miscarriage" Gabriella said.

"No miscarriage. Now, we can relax a little bit" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She got dressed and the couple left the office.

"I'm so happy that everything is okay" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Me too sweetheart. Now, all you have to worry about is keeping him or her healthy" Troy said.

"And then the birth" Gabriella added.

"We don't have to worry about that for a while" Troy said.

"We still have to worry about it" Gabriella said.

"It shouldn't be something to worry about because there is nothing wrong" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple drove home happy that things were looking up.


End file.
